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Women, Gender & Development

The African Union is committed to Strengthening a people centered Union through active communication of the programmes of the African Union, the branding of the Union and participation of Member States and other stakeholders in defining and implementing the African agenda.

Addis Ababa - 10th May 2018: AU Ministries Responsible for Gender and Women’s Affairs converged today Thursday 10th May at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the Ministerial Segment of the Third Ordinary Session of the AU Specialized Technical Committee on Gender Equality and Women

Addis Ababa 7th May 2018: Experts and senior officials from Ministries responsible for Gender and Women affairs from all African Union (AU) Member States convened for the Third Ordinary Session of the African Union Specialized Technical Committee on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (STC-GE

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 24 April 2018- Following its first launch at the High-Level Women Leaders Forum for Africa’s Transformation at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in June 2017, the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) supported by the African Union Commission, UN Women, and the Fed

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 6 December 2017 - The African Union Commission (AUC), on Monday 4th December 2017, organized a dinner-debate, in commemoration of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

Ahead of International Women’s Day tomorrow, we are issuing /have just issued a statement by the High Commissioner, in which he warns that the backlash against the progress in realising women’s rights hurts us all.

Within the framework of the 28th AU Summit, Ms. Mahawa Kaba Wheeler, Director for Women, Gender and Development, at the AU Commission will, on Saturday 28th January 2017 at 11:30, hold a press conference on the following issue:

The Directorate promotes gender equality in Africa and within the AU. It designs programmes and projects based on policies adopted by AU Member States. It also oversees the development and harmonisation of gender-related policies; initiates gender-mainstreaming strategies within the Commission and for AU organs and Member States; and supports capacity building by providing training on gender policies and instruments.
The Directorate has two divisions: Gender Policy and Development Division (GPDD) and Gender Coordination and Outreach. It also acts as the Secretariat for the African Union Women’s Committee (AUWC), which is detailed in the Other Commission Bodies section at the end of this chapter.

2015 - Year of Women Empowerment and Development towards Africa's Agenda 2063

The African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government, during the 23rd Ordinary Session, held from 26 to 27 June 2014 in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, declared 2015 as the Year of Women Empowerment and Development towards Africa’s Agenda 2063 marking.

The AU created the Fund for African Women (FAW) in 2010, with the intention of directly supporting and enhancing women’s participation in the economic process as well as increasing African women’s participation in economic decision making.

The African Women’s Decade (2010-2020)

Adoption of the African Women’s Decade (2010-2020) - the African Women Decade (AWD) was adopted in 2009 with the overall theme: Grassroots Approach to Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE).

2004 - Adoption of the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (SDGEA) by AU Heads of State in 2004 is the landmark commitment by Africa’s leaders to report on progress made in gender mainstreaming.